


Troubleshooting some guilt

by GimbleGamble



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Comfort, M/M, comes with art, offscreen injury that led to loss of limb, the softest Doc I can muster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29920656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GimbleGamble/pseuds/GimbleGamble
Summary: Cold metal and a tiny pinch of guilt, Mumbo decides not to tell his fellow hermits what happened. Except Doc of course.
Relationships: Docm77/MumboJumbo, Mumdoc
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44





	Troubleshooting some guilt

**Author's Note:**

> I actually liked the little summary we made on tumblr lol.

"Does it... ever stop hurting?"

Doc paused, looking up from the open panel in Mumbo's leg. There was something in Mumbo's eyes that felt tired, resigned, and it made him almost miss the question that was too casually thrown his way.

_ Does it? _

He thinks back to the past, when he first lost his arm and a quarter of his face, and tried to determine if he even remembers it not hurting. He sighed letting the leg fully rest on the pillows on his lap, ignoring the soft beeping from the panel in front of him complaining about the sudden shift in angle.

"no... you just get used to it" He admitted, there was no reason to sugarcoat it, he of all people should know that. He grimaced as he switched the screwdriver in his hand with a soldering iron, knowing that this would most likely make the pain a little bit worse. Mumbo snorted, amusement tinting his voice.

"ah, I see" he replied dryly, then a sharp intake of breath as the iron made contact with the circuits, soft wisps of white smoke rising from the open panel. 

The dull pain always surprised him. Doc assured him that it was a good sign, amazing even, that he could still feel. Makes it easier to relearn how to walk. Nevermind how strange it is to feel through hardware, metal, and wires.

Doc looked up, managing to catch Mumbo wince in anticipation as he raised the iron. He tightens his grip on it, reminding himself to keep his hand light as he continues working, keeping Mumbo's comfort at the forefront of his mind.

More wires, less beeping, You would think that it'd be easier to program a leg given his experience with making a whole arm with _fingers_ , but here they were at the seventh calibration of the night and the bugs seem hellbent on sticking. After a healthy amount of silence Doc paused his work to test the range of Mumbo's knee.

"have you told the others yet?" He asked as he gently extended Mumbo's leg, listening intently as the servos and gears inside whirred and clicked into place, so far so good.

"no... not yet" Mumbo bit his lip in discomfort "I do plan on telling them though. Once I get back on my... feet. I just...don't want them to worry about me" he shifted in his seat as his brain focused on the feeling of Doc's hand on his calf. _It really is so strange_.

"They'll worry about you either way" Doc reminded him, making Mumbo chuckle. 

"You may be right" he smiled fondly, relaxing on the wall behind him "I just don't want to be called an idiot by everybody since it _was_ my fault I got into this mess anyways"

"It wasn't your fault" Doc interjected a bit too quickly. Mumbo frowned, recognizing that tone, that unspoken regret that Doc always had on the tip of his tongue, his gaze snapped towards Doc who was pointedly avoiding it. He placed a hand on Doc's and squeezed it reassuringly.

"then it wasn't your fault either" he retorted softly. Doc's eyebrows furrowed as he bristled, glaring daggers at the wall.

"if I got there faster I-" he was cut off by Mumbo's hands cupping his face, forcing him to meet his eyes. The architech shook his head and gently brought their foreheads together.

"it wasn't your fault"

* * *

Autumn was nearing its end, Doc could feel the chill in the air as he packed the last of the blankets in a shulkerbox.

It's been a good couple of months since Mumbo sent him a panicked message in the middle of the night. He still remembers it, the ice coursing through his veins, recklessly firing off rockets to quickly get to where Mumbo was. The dread when Mumbo stopped responding, and then just... seeing Mumbo in that state. Some nights it still keeps him up.

A few weeks after which they completed the fitting of the redstone prosthetic that they both worked so hard on.

The excuses they had to make. Mumbo seemed determined to keep the injury a secret, and staying in Doc's base for an extended amount of time isn't really what he usually does. It didn't really raise too many eyebrows though, and they got to work in relative peace. Sketching out the basics, developing a prototype, and finalizing a unit in record time. It was honestly pretty amazing how fast and smooth it went.

After Doc refused another offer of diamonds and shinies for payment, Mumbo insisted that he return to his base, that he'd taken enough of Doc's time and would hate to take up more. Mumbo seemed so determined to get back into the usual routine that Doc felt like it would be selfish of him to try and keep him close.

Well... maybe he wants to be selfish sometimes.

Shaking the thought off, he places the box inside his inventory for safekeeping and steps into the nether portal. The tunnel that greeted him was charmingly familiar and the trail that stretched out into the distance even more so. He idly follows the well worn path that connected their bases together and hopes that Mumbo was actually in his base for once.

It was darker than he expected when he got to Mumbo's old hobbit hole. It was the only base that had a proper bedroom and was actually sealed from the elements and Mumbo found himself coming back to it more frequently to escape the cold.

Doc looked around, trying to see any sign of activity.

"Mumbo?" he called out into the dark. Soft whimpering directed him towards the bed where Mumbo was curled up under a thick blanket.

"Doc?" came the meek reply as Mumbo peeked from under the blankets. The hybrid swiftly moved closer, taking the shulkerbox out and placing it by the foot of his bed.

"I brought you some hot water bottles and more blankets" He starts unloading the box and handed some items to Mumbo "It's gonna get worse as it gets colder, but you can use these patches to hopefully lessen the pain" A hand around his metal arm stops his rambling.

Mumbo quietly made space beside him on the bed looking up at Doc intently. They stared at each other in silence until Doc barked a quiet laugh.

"fine, fine" he slips under the offered blanket and tucks them both in. Mumbo's hands find their way around his shoulder where flesh and metal meet and in turn he tangles their legs together and wraps his arms around Mumbo's waist.

As they settled into each other's warmth, they let themselves drift off to a comfortable and painless sleep.

* * *

"that went well!" Doc chuckled, carefully dismantling the damaged hardware from Mumbo's leg. The spoon groaned, lying down Doc's bed with a huff. It was certainly a familiar sight, and to be honest they weren't really expecting to be in this same position so soon.

But here they were again, Mumbo's foot detached and off to the side with the main part of his leg resting on a bunch of pillows in Doc's lap. Doc had his tools strewn around him and the screwdriver was already in his hand doing good work. 

"Iskall is still not talking to me Doc, _Iskall_ "

"should've told them sooner, hm?" 

"how was I supposed to know that a skeleton was going to hit my leg?" he exclaimed. Hit his leg and with a very metallic thunk and his very out-of-character mild reaction, accidentally reveal the metal limb hiding underneath his clothes.

"In plain view of everyone no less"

"Doc you're not helping" he grumbled "besides, it wasn't _everyone_ it was just Grian"

"who then proceeded to announce it in the global chat and summon everyone to the shopping district?" Doc added only to be met with more grumbling.

The moment Doc saw Grian's message in the global chat he knew that the cat's out of the bag, and he was right. When he arrived in the town hall he didn't need to look far to find Mumbo. He was sitting by the billboards flustered, surrounded by most of the hermits.

They explained the situation and Xisuma was understandably miffed. There was a whole lecture about safety and the troubles of keeping secrets from everyone (but mostly from him). The rest of the hermits had varying degrees of responses that overwhelmed Mumbo, ranging from concerned to supportive. Not once was he called an idiot for losing his leg... only for keeping it a secret.

Doc didn't dodge the admin's scrutiny. While Mumbo was being mobbed by questions and banter, Xisuma had pulled him aside. The disappointed look that was visible through the visor was enough to get sweat beading on his brow but the admin just sighed and shook his head, thanking him for helping Mumbo out.

"You're probably the only one Mumbo trusts enough to help him in that state" he turned his gaze back into the clamoring hermits.

"what do you mean?" Doc raised an eyebrow, waiting for the admin to elaborate, tamping down the warmth that was slowly spreading through his face. Xisuma looked at him pointedly and he could just _feel_ the smirk that was on the admin's lips. Without saying another word to Doc, he dispersed the crowd, promising a longer lecture for Mumbo and Doc' in the future.

Doc ended up carrying Mumbo back to his half mansion, citing it to be faster than just limping along the nether with Mumbo's arm around his shoulder. 

"maybe we should've gone with the diamond casing after all, even though it'd be heavier" Mumbo hummed, snapping Doc out of his thoughts. Looking at Mumbo now as he fiddles with the new panel cover in his hands, he's definitely more relaxed, the big secret was finally out and a weight has lifted off his chest. If anything, Doc's now the one with his head swimming in thoughts.

He sighed. Maybe he shouldn't think too hard about it. 

"You okay Doc?" Mumbo asked softly as he placed a hand on Doc's arm. He stared at it for a bit before placing his other hand on top of Mumbo's

"I'm glad you called me" He says as he laced their fingers together. Mumbo flushed red but made no attempt to move his hand away.

"you were the only one I thought to call" Mumbo smiled sheepishly, resting his chin on his other knee.

Doc blinked in surprise as their eyes met, events of the past few months clicking together in his mind. While he was distracted, Mumbo leans closer to press a kiss to Doc's cheek, making the latter blush. He cups Mumbo's face and melts at the affection radiating from him.

Maybe Doc _can_ be selfish this time.

**Author's Note:**

> Look at all those additions though! it was way below 1k words when I first posted it on tumblr but now we have a lot more!
> 
> Oh by the way, I made a little twol animatic on tumblr if you babes are interested in what's been keeping me busy.
> 
> That's all for now ( ╹▽╹ )


End file.
